Harder to Breathe
by MorphailEffect
Summary: (CHAPTER 3 UP) Heads are turning in Tezuka and Oshitari's direction. The two play at outright denial, but their efforts may not be enough to dissuade the people who'll stop at nothing to get the facts...
1. Prologue: Summer

DISCLAIMER: Konomi Takeshi owns Prince of Tennis and its characters. I don't. 

NOTES: This fic is a sequel to **Easier to Feel**, please see my FF.net user profile for the link. It would be good if you read that first, but even if you don't, this fic should still make sense. 

Same pairings apply. Some Shishido x Ohtori comes in kind of early, and there might be more later on, so keep in touch :) 

As with **Easier to Feel**, the translations to some Japanese phrases come at the end. I won't bother to translate some words that I presume other anime buffs already know, but if I presumed wrong, please mail me. I'll fix it. 

The title was inspired by the song "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon Five, a song a good friend uploaded for me. The same good friend who's helping me out with my Kansaiben right now. Arigato gozaimasu! :) Go give it a listen. It might help make some things in this fic make sense :) 

****************************** 

  
  
**Harder to Breathe** (Prologue: Summer)   
by MorphailEffect 

  
Mukahi knew that Oshitari was moving away for his second year in high school. That was what their three-day getaway had been _for_. Oshitari should have moved last year and started high school elsewhere, but his father needed time to secure operations in the area. That time was over, and there was no more cheating fate. 

It should have been a warm departure. They should have said their goodbyes with fond words, kisses...it should have been good. 

But it was close to midnight and Oshitari still had not returned. 

It was their last night on vacation. Tomorrow at 11 AM, they would have to check out of the hotel they were staying in, and it irritated Mukahi to even consider Oshitari not being back in time for that. In his head Mukahi played with a number of scenarios...all involving that tall, dark-haired _baka_ and, to his dismay, a certain person he had not even expected to see. 

He tried to keep himself busy with exercise when the visions became too intense for him. "Intense"...it was a word that encapsulated the other person. He hated the word. They shouldn't have come here. There were other vacation spots, why on earth did Oshitari have to choose _this_ one? 

...Had he known that _that person_ would be here...? 

...No. He couldn't possibly. 

They trusted each other. Or at least, Mukahi trusted Oshitari. Completely. And Oshitari knew it. He had to! 

His text to Mukahi had even said _dinner at hachinoya, mountain base. might be back late._

All that had come true so far, right? 

...Shit. 

When Mukahi became tired from the running and jumping around that he was actually not supposed to do, if he didn't want his limbs to hurt in the morning, he took his last shower for the day and spread himself out on the large bed, hoping to fall asleep. 

He was finally getting drowsy when he heard a key turning in the lock. He didn't bother getting up. The door swung open, then softly clicked shut. Mukahi did not move from where he lay, facedown on the bed. 

He simply felt Oshitari's hands on his hair, on his shoulders, on his back, stroking with just the right pressure that would make him turn, would make him look up at his lover and friend of over three years, melted with worry and hurt and affection. 

"Sorry," Oshitari said. The slimy bastard was even smiling. 

Mukahi removed Oshitari's spectacles. He linked his hands behind Oshitari's head and drew him down for a long, deep kiss. He tasted of cigarettes. They made love without incident, which comforted Mukahi more than he could express, and he ended up not caring much that his muscles were certainly going to ache when he woke up. 

Then as they were falling asleep, Mukahi ventured asking, "What happened back there, Yuushi? With Tezuka?" 

Oshitari moved the hand that had been resting on Mukahi's arm. He took a while to answer. 

"...Nothing. Nothing important." 

Mukahi asked no more questions. He let himself drift into a restless sleep. 

  
  
(to be continued) 


	2. Doubt

**Harder to Breathe** (Part 1)   
by MorphailEffect 

  
Again, his heart started to pound inside his chest. Again, Oshitari forced himself to be numb. He was going to a new school, meeting new peers, getting along with new people in the neighborhood. Like he had had to do for the last sixteen years of his life. It was nothing new, so he should not be nervous. 

There was, however, one major difference... 

He was going to a new high school with Tezuka Kunimitsu. Whom he had not forewarned. Whom he had come across by accident while he and Mukahi Gakuto were away on vacation. Whom he had kissed. For what seemed like hours. 

He had come back to Mukahi late at night, needing to do something with the tension that had built up inside him. While in bed with Mukahi, he found to his relief that he hadn't taken to thinking about Tezuka Kunimitsu in Mukahi's place. Not yet. 

He wondered if they were going to be classmates. Should that happen, he wondered how Tezuka would react. Would he pretend not to know Oshitari? Would he look at Oshitari with utter loathing? Would he smile? 

He held on to that last thought, the one that was least possible, to give him strength. 

The mirror reflected a confident young man with long dark hair and a practiced smirk no one could resist. The young man was wearing a school uniform he had never worn before. The insignia felt strange. They always did, for the first few days. 

One last deep breath, then Oshitari was ready. 

******************************

Vice Captain Tezuka Kunimitsu was one of the first people inside the classroom, on the first day of class. He was reading a book in German -- or at least that was what he seemed to be doing. 

His mind was still lost in a certain week-long countryside vacation. Summer had just ended and the memories were still fresh in his head. A leisurely cigarette. An unplanned kiss. A hand on his. Lying back against the cool damp wood of the lonely, hidden bench. Being caressed in places that instantly came alive... 

He caught himself, and shook his head out of the clouds. It was dead certain he would never see Oshitari again. And it was useless to let himself get distracted. 

He removed his spectacles for a moment and rubbed his eyes. As he did, a shadow fell across his desk. Surprised but expressionless, Tezuka looked up. 

The shock of seeing who it was made him sit up straight. The other person said nothing, only kept that killer smile on his face. Without so much as a by-your-leave, he sat on the edge of Tezuka's desk. 

Tezuka frowned when it registered that the newcomer was wearing his high school's uniform. 

"I know, I should've told you," was the flippant greeting, presently, "but it doesn't matter now, right?" 

"You've moved here?" Tezuka asked. 

"Next town," came the reply. "I'll see my family on weekends. I have an apartment. I'm living alone." 

"...So am I." 

Tezuka was immediately suspicious. He'd mentioned the name of his high school to Oshitari during the summer break, but Oshitari had never even hinted that he was planning to transfer there. Oshitari only mentioned that his family was moving again, so he would have to change high schools, but he never said _where_ his family was moving to. 

But then...what was the purpose of surprising Tezuka? Why had he needed to withhold the information? 

Still, Tezuka managed to quell his doubts. If Oshitari's family were in the area, it was logical that Oshitari would choose to attend Tezuka's high school: it was the best high school in the region, in terms of athletics instruction. Tezuka himself had insisted on attending it, even if it would take him far from home -- far from his elementary school, his middle school Seishun Gakuen, and everything familiar. 

Oshitari would also be living alone, of course. Promiscuous as he was, he needed the privacy. 

"I'm applying for the tennis club, too," Oshitari mentioned, keeping his voice low. 

It would have been so easy for Tezuka to bring his hand up for a leisurely encounter with that thigh on his desk. But it was too easy. And risky, besides. The door was wide open, and their classmates were due to come in. 

"You'll go easy on me during the application, right, Mr. Vice Captain?" 

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't count on it." 

Oshitari let out a quiet chuckle. He took Tezuka's spectacles from his hand, and gently replaced them on his face. He tipped Tezuka's chin up and smirked into the brown eyes behind the glass. 

_"Mada ka'aii ya na..."_ **[1]**

******************************

Mukahi held his head up, as always, as he entered the classroom on the first day of class. "Yaa," he said by way of greeting to the entire room. Then he threw his bag on the floor and plopped into his chair, sighed and looked uninterested. It was all routine. 

As if it was any other day at school and eventually, Oshitari would be somewhere in the room. 

The room itself had become a vacuum that sucked out all the self-assurance Mukahi had force-fed himself the night before. _Yuushi isn't here anymore. But I don't need him to be. I'll be okay._ It sounded like so much bull all of a sudden; it was going to be him without Yuushi from now on. 

After so long of being a power team. So long of being together. 

They'd said a long goodbye. Mukahi was even the one who said Oshitari was being melodramatic -- the car was waiting, he was wasting gas. Hurry up and leave! Oshitari had hugged him in front of his family before boarding the car and being borne off to somewhere unreachable... 

In the end, it had been the goodbye Mukahi had wanted. 

... 

So why this emptiness... 

The person sitting in front of him turned. Slung one arm over the backrest of his chair. It was Shishido Ryou. His sudden movements broke Mukahi's reverie, so that his eyes focused, resumed their typical "bored" countenance. 

"_Usu_, Gakuto," Shishido chortled. He seemed unusually upbeat, as if he was up to no good. "Is it true what I heard from Hiyoshi? Yuushi's transferred to another high school?" 

"Mm...yeah. His family had to move." 

"And it didn't occur to either of you two to tell anybody else...?" Shishido accused. 

"It wasn't a sure thing until before summer break," Mukahi shrugged. 

Shishido snorted, looked disappointed. "Damn. You sure seem okay with it..." 

"What? Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" 

At this, Shishido regained footing and grinned. "You won't miss him, or anything?" 

Now Shishido was among the very few people from Mukahi's old middle school who knew about Oshitari and Mukahi's relationship. The only other person, as far as Mukahi could tell, was Atobe Keigo, their tennis club captain, who had been surprisingly trustworthy -- even indulgent. Mukahi suspected they amused Atobe, what with the man's twisted sense of fun. 

Shishido, on the other hand, was a pain. He only found out on their freshman year in high school, and he harped on it whenever he had the chance. He liked teasing Mukahi and Oshitari, plying them with lewd suggestions, even if it was against his nature to pick on people. It only showed that Shishido was comfortable enough with them to not hold back. 

Mukahi grunted. Shishido was one to judge. His eyes went all wide, then he blushed like crazy when he was informed that Ohtori was entering their high school that year as a freshman. If what he and "Ohtori-chan," as Mukahi liked to call him in Shishido's face, were not yet like what Mukahi and Oshitari _used_ to be, they were at least getting there, in small and shaky steps. 

"What, me, miss that idiot? Don't you think I'd be sick of him by now?" 

Shishido scratched his chin comically. "Hmm...wonder what kind of trouble he'd be causing in that school..." 

"Who knows," Mukahi sniffed. "He'll probably be off chasing every single thing in a skirt." He shot Shishido a mischievous look. "Did you know that was why his parents stuck him in an all-boys' middle school in the first place?" 

_"Haa, sou?"_ This distracted him. It looked like he really didn't know. "Poor guy. No wonder he always looked so bored in Hyoutei." 

Mukahi chuckled. "Yeah, his first coed school in four years...the moron's got to be ecstatic." 

"So you're really okay about this, huh?" 

Every now and then, an ounce of genuine concern would slip through Shishido's defenses. Mukahi didn't know if this was one of those times. 

"Yes I am. Stop asking me already!" 

Shishido laughed, raised his hands in surrender. He turned back and settled in his seat. The first-period teacher had poked his head into the room. 

"Besides," Mukahi said softly as he stood with the rest of the class to greet the teacher, "it's not like I'll never see him again..." 

******************************

"Those girls are staring at you." 

Tezuka looked over to the place Oshitari was pointing to by the incline of his head. There were indeed a bunch of high school girls clumped together, giggling over something and sneaking glances at the two young men conspiring in the shade. Freshmen, perhaps. Tezuka had been told before that people stared at him, but never paid it any attention. 

He didn't pay the girls any attention now. "I don't care," he replied flatly. 

Oshitari noticed a lot of things. Maybe he was naturally perceptive...or maybe it was because he kept looking back over his shoulder. As if expecting something to come bounding at him from the shadows. 

Tezuka didn't bother speculating. Oshitari had his problems. They were his, alone, to deal with. 

_"Saa,"_ Oshitari said as he hitched his schoolbag higher up his shoulder. _"iko ka."_ **[2]**

Tezuka said nothing, simply walked off. As he followed Tezuka out of school grounds, Oshitari threw the girls a wink, which earned him a unified shriek of gratitude. 

As they walked, Tezuka debated with himself over the logic of hanging out with Oshitari Yuushi to the extent that they even left school at the end of the day together. It wasn't practical, as they went in different directions to get home... but it came to him naturally. 

He decided that Oshitari's was the kind of presence you couldn't turn away, once it had latched itself on you. A natural doubles partner, he noted grimly. Though he had never tried playing doubles with Oshitari, he had seen him play, and knew his potential for support. 

In a way Oshitari reminded him of Oishi: he provided a feeling of stability and steadiness. Some people were born to watch other people's backs. 

Also, having Oshitari around was...comforting. Tezuka didn't want to acknowledge it, but Oshitari generated in him an emotion he thought he had lost a long time ago. 

If he was unable to control this emotion, it would handicap him. He knew his feelings better than anyone. 

"Boring day," Oshitari remarked. "I'm in no mood to cook. Want to go grab a bite before going home?" 

First day of classes, and this insolent guy -- who was applying for the tennis club, by the way, and as such should owe Tezuka some respect -- was already asking him out. 

"...Sure," came the natural answer. 

******************************

Mukahi winced as he sat down at their cafeteria table. He should have expected that Ohtori's greeting would be "Where's Oshitari-sempai?" 

The angelic high school freshman meant no harm by asking, of course. But Mukahi couldn't help but be a little miffed. It was the end of the day, and he had received more inquiries on Oshitari's whereabouts than he would care to count. Even the teachers were asking him where Oshitari was. How tiring, for a first day of school. 

"Transferred." Shishido answered, courteous enough to spare Mukahi from repeating himself. Shishido had made it to the cafeteria earlier than Mukahi. _Overeager, perhaps...?_ Mukahi smirked privately. 

"Sou?" Ohtori exclaimed. "Where to?" 

"Hmm. I forgot to ask you that, Gakuto. What school?" 

Mukahi gave the name, and the prefecture. 

Ohtori blinked. "Eh? Isn't that the school Tezuka Kunimitsu goes to?" 

The name struck Mukahi like a blow to the gut. Everyone else was speaking, but he had fallen still. 

"Wah?! _Maji?!_ **[3]**" Shishido cried. "I just remember Atobe mentioning that school before...something like if he didn't get accepted at that overseas scholarship, he was enrolling there. That school has the best tennis coach, doesn't it?" 

"Sports coaches in general, sempai," Ohtori gently corrected. "Which was why Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu enrolled there, I heard. Even if it's so far from his home..." 

Mukahi kept his hands clutched on his knees, under the table. He kept his eyes down so his two companions wouldn't see the mess of things inside his head. He wanted to shout. He wanted to hit something. 

"I heard he's living alone, too," Ohtori continued, sprightly as ever. "And that he's Vice Captain of the tennis club, only in his second year! Their tennis club is tough on its members...I wonder what would happen if Atobe-sempai _didn't_ take that overseas scholarship..." 

Shishido planted his chin in his hand. "Besides that," he drawled, "Yuushi is enough of a challenge. I wonder what would happen if he entered the tennis club and tried for the regulars, eh...would the famous vice-president be unseated?" 

Ohtori chuckled gaily. "Aa. Knowing Oshitari-sempai, there's a good chance of that..." 

Mukahi stood with such suddenness that Ohtori sat up in surprise. 

"Mu -- mukahi-sempai?" 

"I," he began ominously, face down and hidden by shoulder-length red hair, "have better things to do than sit around." 

"Mukahi-sempai!" Ohtori cried as Mukahi began gathering his things. "Please wait! Was it something I said? I'm really sorry..." 

"Naa, let him go, Choutarou," Shishido said sharply, as Mukahi stalked off. "He hasn't been himself without Yuushi." 

_You're pushing it, Shishido,_ Mukahi wanted to say through his teeth. Instead he opted to leave without a formal goodbye. Ohtori and Shishido looked after him with curious, concerned stares. But he didn't give a damn just then. 

  
  
(to be continued) 

******************************

1 - "Still cute, aren't you..." 

2 - "Saa, iko ka?" = "Well, shall we go?" in Kansaiben 

3 - "For real?!" In question form, though the word "maji" means "impossible," literally. 


	3. No Answer

**Harder to Breathe** (Part 2: No Answer)   
by MorphailEffect 

  
Oshitari's impulse was to take Tezuka out for fastfood. Mukahi had liked fastfood, especially enjoyed how fastfood joints encouraged laughter and fun conversation. But when he set his foot in A Hamburger **[1]**, he realized Tezuka wasn't following him. 

He looked back and found Tezuka standing well outside the door, hands in his pockets. 

"What? You don't like fastfood?" _Who in the world doesn't like fastfood?_ Oshitari asked himself incredulously. 

"I like to keep my system clean," Tezuka replied in monotone. "Let's get something healthier." 

"Aah...alright." With any luck, Oshitari told himself, the food they were getting was going to be as bland as Tezuka's voice when he said that. Still, he shrugged and let himself be led away from the establishment. 

Tezuka chose a traditional Japanese restaurant that was small, quiet, and remarkably clean. A look at the menu told Oshitari that the price of the food was also worth how much the attendants were being paid to keep the place grime-free. It was like a replay of their mountainside vacation: they were in a pricey place, ogled and fawned over. The repeat performance made Oshitari uncomfortable. 

"They have good _unacha_ **[2]** here," Tezuka started to say. "What are you having?" 

Oshitari was about to tell Tezuka to order ahead, when he heard a happy shout from nearby: 

"Hei hei Tezuka-san! See, Ooishi? I told you it was him! I could spot him a mile away, nya!" 

Oshitari chuckled dryly. _"Yare yare,"_ **[3]** he sighed. Would the two of them never be able to eat out in peace? 

"Yes, but keep your voice down, Eiji. please! We're drawing attention," a softer, calmer voice answered. Two familiar figures were coming to their table. 

Kikumaru Eiji's bright grin was the first thing Oshitari fixed his gaze on. He didn't think he had ever seen it so sparkly. "Ha~i, and we _know_ how much Tezuka hates -- _are_?" **[4]**

_Are_, indeed. The taller boy smirked in answer to the redhead's horrified look. He took a moment to miss Mukahi, and ponder how interesting the situation would be if he were present. 

Kikumaru's companion, the subdued former vice-captain of the Seigaku regulars, Ooishi Shuichirou, didn't seem too thrilled, either. "O...Oshitari Yuushi ka," he stammered. 

"Yeah, Hyoutei's genius," Oshitari supplied with a wry smile. "This was unexpected, Ooishi-san..." 

"I'll say." Ooishi looked to Tezuka for an explanation. 

"What are you two doing here?" was all that Tezuka said. He didn't sound friendly...though it wasn't like anyone expected him to be. 

Kikumaru scratched his cheek with the tip of his index finger. He wasn't sure how to proceed with the hearty greeting he had in mind, in the presence of an old adversary. "We were making the rounds!" he said with watered-down cheerfulness. "We do this every year, remember? And you were the first on the list, as always!" 

"The list?" Oshitari asked the newcomers. 

"Aa," Tezuka answered before the newcomers could ignore him. "Ooishi and Kikumaru have a ritual at the start of every school year. They 'make the rounds' ...which is to say, they check up on each ex-Seigaku tennis club regular, in the order described in their list." He cleared his throat. "I forgot about it this year." 

"...You..._forgot_?! I can't believe you!" Kikumaru gasped. He was more himself now. "We called you at your apartment early this morning to remind you, but there was no answer! You were out of the house early, I guess? Then we tried calling you at your cell phone _all day_, but you weren't answering either..." 

Tezuka blinked and started to reach for his bag, in which was his cell phone. But he remembered, "Ah. I set it to block all calls. I didn't want to be disturbed." 

_"Warui nya, Tezuka! Hido~i!"_ **[5]** Kikumaru was whining in an exaggerated manner that would have annoyed Mukahi thoroughly if he were around. _"Let me at him. I'll wring his little neck,"_ Oshitari could almost hear his doubles partner saying through his teeth beside him, where he always used to be. 

Oshitari smiled fondly at the illusion. _But he's endearing in a way, isn't he, Gakuto..._

"Go easy, Eiji," Ooishi started to say, his cool brown eyes fixed on Oshitari. "We must have interrupted something important. We shouldn't impose ourselves on anyone." 

_"...Mou."_ Kikumaru pouted, hands on his hips. He looked resigned, yet more cheerful than before. "Ah well. At least we've seen that our old Buchou's doing well, ne? We can do our catching up later, or something..." 

"Right," Ooishi said gently. Then he turned to Tezuka with his characteristically open smile. "We just came from your school. We inquired after you with some members of the tennis club, but everyone said you'd just left. We were heading home, but Eiji thought he spotted you walking and we kind of...stalked you." 

"Only for a little while," Kikumaru defended with much spirit. "It was really good luck I can recognize the back of your head, nya!" 

"I see," Tezuka said, his voice neutral. "Very well. It's getting late, and you two are a long way from home. You'd better get going. Ooishi," he said with a nod, "I'll call you." 

Ooishi nodded back. "I'll expect your call." Then a more-formal-than-necessary bow to Oshitari. "Please excuse us for interrupting." 

The note of resentment there did not escape Oshitari. He wasn't sure if anything he could say would make it go away -- or if he even wanted it to go away -- so he simply inclined his head in answer. 

"See ya, Buchou-san!" Kikumaru singsang. Oshitari watched Seigaku's former Golden Pair depart. He noted the way Ooishi lay his hand on Kikumaru's back as the latter walked ahead through the exit. It was the most innocent, the most natural thing in the world, and it hit him with a sudden pang of nostalgia... 

But he shook himself free from it. The heavy atmosphere had lifted, with the Golden Pair's disappearance. The momentary distraction might have been what he and Tezuka needed to feel at ease and finally start a casual conversation. 

Indeed, Tezuka seemed more relaxed. And was even on the verge of smiling when he turned back to Oshitari. He had appreciated the little visit from his old club members, even if he would never say it outloud. 

He never needed to say anything outloud to Oshitari, even when they were children. Oshitari was a master at reading body language, little things that indicated mood changes. It came to him instinctively. Tezuka just managed to confuse him, he supposed, when he made his warm body correspond to the cold things his lips said... 

Oshitari leaned forward on the table and asked, "So they still call you 'Buchou-san'?" 

Tezuka placidly sipped his tea. "Sometimes I think they're afraid I'll make them run laps if they don't." 

******************************

Ooishi and Kikumaru walked to the nearest train station silently. They were a good two blocks away from the restaurant before Ooishi said quietly, "Naa. Eiji..." 

_"Nani?"_

"...Do you think we should tell anyone else?" 

Kikumaru braked and raised his voice. "Huh? What are you talking about? Why _shouldn't_ we tell anyone else?" 

Ooishi stopped walking. Sweatdropped. "Well...that is..." 

"THAT Hyoutei regular socializes with OUR Buchou, and it's not something that would interest the other Seigaku regulars?!" 

"_Former_ Seigaku regulars, Eiji," Ooishi corrected. "We're not even attending the same high school anymore. Did you notice that Oshitari-kun was wearing the same uniform as Tezuka?" 

"So what? He's _still_ an old Hyoutei regular! We have to safeguard our former Buchou's welfare at all cost!" 

"...Okay, I don't get your logic," Ooishi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What's certain is, we'll come across as real busybodies if we spread news about Tezuka's...private business..." 

Ooishi had momentarily forgotten that secrets were taboo to Kikumaru. Oops. "Private business?" Kikumaru repeated, miffed. 

The redheaded boy lived in a house full of relatives, all of whom knew who was going out with whom, what exactly they did, and why. He considered everyone else's life an open book -- and if it wasn't, corrective measures had to be undertaken, for the good of all. 

"What private business could OUR Buchou have with an old Hyoutei regular?" Kikumaru huffed. "If they're not doing anything bad, there shouldn't be anything to hide, right...? So we wouldn't be finding out anything we shouldn't, right...?" 

"Well..." Somehow, he had a point. Ooishi sighed. "Alright, but...Tezuka says he's going to call me. Don't you think we should wait until then? He might want to volunteer the information -- " 

"Oo~i~shi~!" Kikumaru wailed plaintively. "What do you think he'll tell us? He'll tell us to mind our own business, that's what!! And if that Hyoutei regular ends up doing HARM to Tezuka-buchou...?" Kikumaru folded his arms across his chest. "I don't like that guy. Always looks like he's up to no good." 

To be honest, Ooishi didn't trust Oshitari either. And couldn't for the life of him understand why Tezuka consented to have dinner alone with the guy. As far as he knew, Tezuka only _willingly_ took his meals in the company of people he trusted. Otherwise he 1) ate alone, or 2) ate at home. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something important was going on where he couldn't see it. His buried leader's instincts were kicking in. 

"But...we can't just go about _talking_ to people about it. That's risky. We're not gossips, Eiji!" 

Eiji grinned. He winked playfully at Ooishi, a mischievous gleam in his open eye. 

"Then we'll have to drop hints to someone who's expected to make a big deal of it," he began. "So...who among us is a gossip AND a good data-gatherer?" 

They both knew only one person who fulfilled all the above criteria. 

******************************

Mukahi put down the phone feeling numb. Still no answer. 

The first time he tried calling Oshitari's apartment was when he was walking home from school. He dialed Oshitari's apartment's number on his cell phone, and waited until the persistent ringing at the other end turned back into a dialtone. Alright, he told himself then: it was early. Maybe he was still out. 

The second time was after dinner with his family. He tried to connect to Oshitari's cell phone this time: still no answer. 

At the third time, he tried to call Oshitari at his apartment again, using the family's landline. It was shortly after dinner, but there was still no answer. He could have tried contacting him at his cell phone again...but Mukahi didn't think he was up to not being answered a fourth time. 

His hand was shaking when he put down the phone. When he realized that it was, he glowered down at his hand until the trembling vanished. 

He shouldn't be reacting this way. 

They never had the sort of relationship that would call for this sort of...jealousy. There was no other word for the feeling. But used to be, no one could come between them and it never had to be _said._

That changed whenever Oshitari said Tezuka's name, which was rarely, and never expected. Mukahi had always known that. But he never thought it would ever mean anything. 

Had he been wrong all this time? 

_If he doesn't call tonight..._ Mukahi told himself, as he stood by the silent phone, clenching a fist at his side, _if he doesn't...I'll know._

******************************

Tezuka's "apartment" was actually his own condo, as could perhaps be expected. Being the only child, he was somewhat spoiled by his family, who could afford the best creature comforts. 

Not that Tezuka himself was materialistic. Oshitari guessed that the inside was as spartan as he remembered little Kuni's room to have been. But it didn't look like he would have the chance to confirm his guess. 

The two young men stood outside, by the low gate. Tezuka turned to Oshitari with an expectant, slightly impatient look. 

"Hmm...still too early to be indoors." Oshitari feigned innocence. "Why don't you invite me inside? Let's kill an hour or two." 

Tezuka closed his eyes briefly: something he did instead of rolling his eyes. "No," he simply said. 

No one was around. The street was empty and the houses were separated by thick walls and wide yards. Utter privacy. Oshitari decided he liked this neighborhood. 

Then he planted one hand against the wall beside Tezuka. He drew his body closer to Tezuka's until the other boy was forced to step back against the wall. 

"You are heartless," he said into Tezuka's eyes. 

Tezuka only held his gaze, his aura daring him to do something more dangerous. Oshitari would have kissed him then, if only he wasn't conscious of the fact that they were both wearing glasses. 

There _had_ to be a way to go about it without taking off their glasses. The damn things were just too cumbersome. 

He could forget the idea, then, and step away. But he wasn't likely to do that with Tezuka -- no, Kuni. _His_ Kuni. Was standing this close to him again. One kiss. Oshitari wasn't going to take it farther than that. He made up his mind. 

_BANG._

The sound didn't come from far away. It was the sound a cat pouncing onto a tin lid would have made. 

But Oshitari jerked back as if he heard a gunshot. 

_What the -- Why did I -- ?_

As he steadied his own heartbeat, Tezuka stepped away from the wall. His eyes did not leave Oshitari's all the while. "See you tomorrow," he said tersely. And with complete calm opened the gate, went through, and locked it behind him. 

... 

Oshitari lingered, sorting out what had just happened. 

Meanwhile he remembered he had not checked his cell phone for messages all day. He should have at least remembered to store it in his pocket, not in his bag. 

He pulled himself up rigidly when he saw the display. 

One missed call. 

  
  
(to be continued) 

******************************

1 - AFAIK, "A Hamburger" is the name of the fastfood joint often shown in the anime. It has the McDonalds color scheme, only there's a big "A" where the "M" should be ^^ 

2 - A friend translates this to "marinated eel"...officially known as Tezuka's favorite food. I wonder if it tastes good... 

3 - "Oh well, as always..." 

4 - An expression of surprise. Some variants: "Ara!" and "Oro!" 

5 - "That's bad, Tezuka! You're mean~!" 


	4. Moshi Moshi

**Harder to Breathe** (Part 3: "...Moshi Moshi.") **[1]**   
by MorphailEffect 

  
_"Ooishi."_

"Tezuka?" Ooishi had clipped the cordless receiver between his chin and his shoulder. He was wiping the soap suds from his hands on a dishrag. 

_"I said I'd call you."_

"Oh. I didn't think you meant _tonight_." 

_"Are you busy?"_

"Nah. Just helping clean up around here. Mom has a few visitors over. So what's up?" 

_"I shouldn't have forgotten about your yearly rounds. That situation earlier was my fault."_

"Situation?" He called it a "situation"? This required a little looking into. Ooishi threw the rag to one side so he could hold the receiver properly. 

"You mean with Oshitari-san? Actually...Eiji and I should be the ones to apologize. We already saw you were with someone, so we shouldn't have tailed you." 

_"I hope it wasn't awkward for you two."_

"No, no it wasn't. What about you?" 

_"There was no harm done."_

Ooishi paused. The chattering noises made by his mother's visitors suddenly became too loud for comfort. He walked over to the far side of the kitchen, opened the back door, stepped out and closed the door behind him. Blessed quiet. 

"Tezuka...you won't resent me for asking about that, will you?" 

_"Of course not."_

He decided to be direct about it. Direct had never failed him in the past, with Tezuka. "So...? How did it happen that you and Oshitari Yuushi from Hyoutei Middle School started going to school together?" 

_"His family moved into the area. He chose my school to transfer to."_

"Are you two in the same class?" 

_"Sou desu."_ **[2]**

Alright. Simple, so far. Too simple. "Did he _know_ you were going to that school before he transferred?" 

_"I don't know. Probably not. Does it matter?"_

"Not at all! I was just curious. I'm also curious how you and he seem to be getting along so well." 

_"What are you talking about?"_ There was no change in the tone of his voice. But Ooishi knew that at the other end of the line, Tezuka's eyes had narrowed into suspicious slits. 

The imagined scowl did nothing to faze Ooishi. He had not been Tezuka's vice-captain for one whole year for nothing. "I don't think I've ever seen you as relaxed as I did back in that restaurant." Ooishi paused, thinking. Then, "That's right. This evening you just looked..." _Like a wide open space in a tennis court. You weren't on your guard, Buchou._ "...like a huge load was lifted from your shoulders." 

_"You're speculating."_

"Well, I had a good look. Are you going to deny it?" 

_"It's none of your business how and in whose company I choose to relax."_

There. The "none of your business" card had to be played sometime. He had hit a nerve, even if Tezuka wasn't letting on. Ooishi had to change tactics. 

"I won't pry, Tezuka. It was just...nice seeing you like that, for a change..." 

_"'Nice', huh?"_

Ooishi chuckled. "What do you want me to say, I was expecting the sky to fall, too?" 

The joke was lost on Tezuka. He began gravely, _"Ooishi. Don't blow this out of proportion. It's not likely that what happened earlier, will happen again. The other regulars don't need to be told."_

Damn. He would have known what Eiji was planning, of course. 

"I wasn't intending to spread the word," Ooishi assured him, in all seriousness. "Your private life is your own." 

_"I'm glad to hear that."_

End topic. Change subject. "Hey, before I forget. The members of your tennis club mentioned that you made vice-captain this year! Congratulations!" 

_"Aa."_ His standard reply to any and all forms of praise. 

"That's something the other ex-regulars would be glad to know about, right?" 

_"Not really, I don't think it would affect their daily affairs."_

"_Sou'su ne. Demo saa..._ **[3]** is Oshitari-san signing up for the tennis club this year?" 

_"He mentioned something to that effect."_

Ooishi chuckled good-naturedly. "Well. Looks like high school is finally going to be interesting, naa, vice-captain?" 

Rustle of clothing at the other end. A sure signal that Tezuka was impatient to end the conversation. _"That was all I called to say. Is there anything else you'd like to bring up?"_

Ooishi scratched the back of his neck contemplatively. _Aside from the fact that no matter what you tell me, the other regulars will find out about Oshitari anyway? Not really._ "No...Tezuka. I hope you had a good first day at school. Let's keep in touch." 

_"Ja."_ Click. Dialtone. Ooishi felt lucky to have even gotten a "ja" out of the guy before he put down the phone. 

Their conversation had not been fruitful. He wouldn't be able to tell Eiji anything useful, the next day at school. Maybe it was nothing after all, Ooishi said to himself. Maybe he was right all along. 

******************************

_"Inui!"_

"Eiji." Inui tempered his breathing as he talked into the phone. The tall bespectacled ex-Seigaku regular had just come from an after-school jogging excursion. Though he wasn't part of the tennis club anymore in his new high school, he saw it fit to keep up with the intensive training regimen he had plotted out for himself years ago. 

"I thought you were not to contact me until two days later. I am third on your yearly visitation list, am I not?" 

_"Yeah well, screw the list,"_ Kikumaru was saying excitedly. _"Listen. Ooishi and I just came from Tezuka's school tonight, and we found something really...well, funny. We were hoping you'd know more about it, nya..."_

"Funny? What are you talking about?" 

Kikumaru gave the details. As he spoke, Inui's breathing steadied. He was in "analyze" mode again. 

"I see," he remarked in monotone, after Kikumaru had finished talking. "Well. I didn't know about this before now. But you are correct, it is...'funny.'" 

Actually the words that occurred to Inui leaned more to the negative...like "morbidly interesting," "ominous" and "potentially explosive." But he wasn't going to betray his true opinions without the backing of further data. 

_"What do you think, Inui? Should we ignore it?"_ Kikumaru was being unusually eager to concede. Inui knew it could only mean one thing: reverse psychology. He wasn't really asking if the situation should be ignored, but was covertly insisting that Inui research more deeply into the matter. He wasn't asking for advice, so much as saying "Get your ass on this case, inspector." 

And Inui found himself in the mood to play along. "We won't be able to tell, until we find out more about the situation. I suppose Tezuka has already told the two of you to stop prying into his personal life?" 

_"Naa, he doesn't have the right to do that! The ex-Seigaku regulars should always be up to date on each other's important affairs, right?"_

Yes, Tezuka had definitely told them to mind their own business. "Tezuka is out as an information source, then. We focus on Oshitari Yuushi. But Hyoutei has methods for preserving its students' privacy...so we will need the assistance of someone with inside information on all the former tennis club regulars, if not the Hyoutei tennis club in particular." Inui turned off "analyze mode" to say, "Incidentally, I have a chess date tomorrow..." 

_"Ah."_ The disdainful smirk behind that "ah" carried over the wires. _"Well, say hi to the sneaky little guy for me."_

Inui smirked right back. "Yes, his respiratory system has suffered because of his faulty training techniques while in St. Rudolph Middle School...still, he is hardly a 'little guy' anymore, you understand." 

_"Yeah, but he's _still_ sneaky. _Ah, mengo mengo! **[4]** _You're buddies now."_ Kikumaru sniffed. "Wakatta. _Though Fuji has never really been happy with that arrangement..."_

"Truth be told, neither has Kaidou." Without thinking, Inui flashed a genuine smile at no one. Then he caught himself, cleared his throat. 

"Listen, Eiji. I cannot promise that I will gather all the information we need. But I will warn you of one thing right now: if we are going to delve into this matter, we run the risk of placing Tezuka in the spotlight -- and not in a good way. There is, in fact, an 78% chance of it. By asking around, we will be exposing him to popular scrutiny as if he were a media icon." 

_"Though come to think of it,"_ Kikumaru helpfully supplied, _"Tezuka-buchou IS sort of a media icon already, isn't he? What with the near-win in the nationals for his high school during his first year..."_

Inui raised his eyebrow. Kikumaru certainly was feeling argumentative tonight. Inui recalled from his notebooks that he almost always became this energized when it came to gossip. 

"Indeed...that was unfortunate. If he had been placed in Singles 2 to go head-on against Sengoku Kiyozumi, his high school could have afforded two wins in the singles court. But he was in Singles 3, which he won easily, while an upperclassman lost to first-year Sengoku." 

A bright laugh. _"Hoi hoi, Inui! It seems you're still keeping tabs on our Buchou in that notebook of yours!"_

Inui blinked. It never occurred to him that he might be watching their old captain any more than he was watching anyone else. He attended as many matches of the ex-Seigaku regulars as he could, and gathered as much data on them as he could almost entirely on impulse. 

The only player he consciously kept an eye on was the Kaidou "The Snakeman" Kaoru, who happened to be a first-year in his high school. Whose wicked demeanor stuck fear into the hearts of peers and upperclassmen alike. And whose training Inui personally supervised. 

He coolly replied, "I'm keeping tabs on everyone. For instance, I know that the Ooishi-Kikumaru Golden Pair has a perfect winning streak. That there is not a single high school doubles pair in existence that could defeat the two, at least to date." 

Kikumaru gave a gasp of surprise. _"What?! You've been spying on us?! That's not fair! Ooishi and I never ONCE saw you at any of our matches..."_

"It was easier to gather data from an indescernible vantage point." 

_"We _needed_ all the moral support we could _get_, nya!"_

"Let's discuss that later." Inui smiled again. "I'll get as much info as I can tomorrow, Eiji. And prepare everything for when you and Ooishi come by, the day after tomorrow." 

"Sasuga na Inui! Itsumo mitai da mon!" **[5]** Kikumaru chirped. _"I knew we could count on you!_ Ja, mata ne!" 

Inui put down the phone and bent down to unlace his rubber shoes. He was going to have to clean off the grime at the porch before his parents got home from the hospital where they worked. 

...But no matter. Any menial task set before him today would pale in significance to the scheming he was going to do before bedtime. A chance to spy on Tezuka was always a chance worth taking. 

There was an evil glint in his unbelievably thick glasses all that night. 

******************************

_"Gakuto."_

Mukahi's eyes opened wide. He was lying on his side on the bed, facing the phone on the bedstand. 

He felt like he had just come awake. He had not even changed his clothes, and suddenly he felt terribly uncomfortable. It wasn't like him to go to bed without showering first. Maybe he had lain down and closed his eyes without expecting to fall asleep. He couldn't remember. 

_"Are you there? Please pick up."_

He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at the blinking "record" light on the phone unit as if he had never seen it before. 

_"I missed your call. I'd left my cell phone behind at the apartment, and I just got home."_

Mukahi snorted. That line just made his consciousness come rushing back. 

Idiot. Did he expect Mukahi to buy that? He _never_ forgot his cell phone. He misplaced his spectacles on occasion (it wasn't safe from locker room pranks after all), but his cell phone was always within his reach, even while he was on the courts. The damn thing might as well be grafted to his skin. 

_"Look, I'm sorry, okay?"_

Mukahi sat up, still staring at the blinking light. Oshitari's recording time was running out. 

_"Please pick up."_

"..." 

A sigh at the other end. _"Fine. I'll try calling again tomorrow. Good night."_

In a flash, Mukahi's hand was on the receiver. He was placing it to his ear and saying, "Yuushi." 

A pause, not a dialtone, answered his greeting. Presently Oshitari's voice came on again. "_You're awake after all, why --"_

"Tell me something," Mukahi interrupted. "And be honest." 

_"...Of course."_

Mukahi shut his eyes, determined to survive this encounter, if not come out on top. "Is Tezuka Kunimitsu attending your high school?" 

_"The former Seigaku captain?"_

"Well?" 

_"Yes, he is."_ It wasn't an admission of guilt. Or even an offensive retaliation. It was just a fact. 

"In the same class as you?" 

_"Yes."_

Control wasn't an easy thing. Mukahi had always been open about his emotions, and right now Oshitari's absolute calm was infuriating him, clouding his mind over. "Did you know all this time that the two of you were enrolling in the same high school?" 

_"Gakuto, I don't see why you have to ask -- "_

"Because I have to ask, dammit!!" 

There was a tense silence. Oshitari on the other end of the line was perhaps waiting for a follow-up shout. But that was all that Mukahi let loose. He took a deep breath, and was able to continue without so much as gritting his teeth: "Yuushi...did you _plan_ to be there with Tezuka Kunimitsu. Or not. It's a simple question. Yes or no." 

More pause on Oshitari's end. Mukahi imagined it took longer than necessary. Every second Oshitari delayed took him a step closer to a "yes." If he stayed silent long enough... 

_"...No, Gakuto. I didn't know I was going to be enrolled in the same school as Tezuka Kunimitsu. And I sure didn't plan anything. I'm not as crafty as people make me out to be."_ A short, embarrassed chuckle, which Mukahi had always found charming, one way or another. _"You, of all people, should know that."_

Mukahi mellowed down with great reluctance. He did know. Oshitari might be smart about tennis, he might excel at his studies, he might know more about human nature than the average teenager... But it still wasn't in his blood to trick people. The moron couldn't be manipulative if his life depended on it. 

Perhaps he was the only person in the world who saw the simplicity in Oshitari Yuushi. And loved it. 

_"Besides, I could care less even if he and I roomed together. We're not grade schoolers anymore and we have our own concerns ...Are you still there?"_

"I miss you," Mukahi found himself saying. 

The smile was evident in Oshitari's voice as he replied, _"I've missed you since the last time I touched you."_

And then, of course, he had to be his sly, seductive self. Over the simplicity was painted an elusive shade of red. "Do you really mean that, I wonder..." Mukahi said softly to himself. 

_"What? I didn't hear..."_

"Yuushi. I'm spending the weekend with you." 

Surprise registered. _"What? But -- this weekend, I..."_

"What's the matter? You don't have plans, do you?" _What fucking plans would anyone have on the first weekend of the school year?_ "And you can't make time for me?" 

_"That's not what I meant. I was about to say I'm scheduled to visit my parents, but that can be put off."_ It sounded far from a flimsy excuse. Oshitari was living alone, and could only see his family on weekends. _"I'm just worried your parents won't let you stay over somewhere so far out."_

"My parents are never the problem. They like you. They're gullible." Mukahi was aware that he sounded spiteful, but he was on a roll. "If they trusted your sorry ass to haul me to the countryside for three days, they'll trust it again to keep me safe and content for an overnight stay." 

A low, suggestive chuckle. _"Oh you'll be more than safe and content."_

Gakuto could hear the promiscuous smirk there. It was more like the Yuushi he knew. So familiar, so _real_, that the distance between them physically hurt. 

"That sounds like a promise..." 

"Ah, Gakuto. You must wait and have more faith in me. I have the whole weekend to deliver proof of my pure intentions." 

"Pure intentions my ass," Mukahi managed to laugh outloud. 

They were going to spend the night talking. All was as it should be. After he put down the phone, a full hour past midnight, Mukahi drifted off to sleep -- exhausted to the core, but smiling. 

******************************

_"Kuni."_

"Aa." 

_"...I didn't expect to find you still awake."_

"You intended to wake me up?" 

An embarrassed chuckle. _"No, that's not it at all. I was just taking my chances."_

Tezuka ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to get some sleep. This person calling him up while he was lying in bed restless wasn't helping. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to tell me?" 

_"Nothing, I just..."_

"What?" 

_"...wanted to hear your voice. It's been a long day."_

This exchange should have made Tezuka uncomfortable. Still, the very sound of Oshitari's voice was making something inside him unknot. It was a strange feeling. 

He wondered vaguely what he looked like at this moment. And if this was what Ooishi saw earlier that night in the restaurant. 

"Get some sleep," he answered with unplanned gentleness. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

_"...All right. I'll see you. Good night."_

In that parting was the feeling of someone's hand on his, someone's lips touching his -- lightly, expertly, but with definite shyness. 

"Good night...Yuushi." 

  
  
(to be continued) 

******************************

1 - I'm sure people already know this. But for posterity, I'm still defining it: traditional Japanese greeting on the phone. English equiv: "Hello." 

2 - "That's right," formal. 

3 - "That's right. But er..." 

4 - "Sorry sorry!" a pun on "gomen gomen" that I heard Kikumaru say once...I think it was during his first doubles match with Momoshiro 

5 - "Amazing, Inui! Like always!" 


End file.
